Philanthropy

Supporting philanthropies anyway you can is one of the most effective ways to give back to your community. However, with more and more ways to spread awareness using technology and the web for marketing campaigns, it’s never been more difficult to single out one philanthropy to support. Whether you are choosing to become involved in a specific philanthropy as a personal or business endeavor, there are certain things you should take into account before you decide on the one charity to devote your efforts and resources to.

Read our three tips to help you choose a philanthropy you should support.

Define your values

The first step to picking the right philanthropy to support is making sure its mission stands for something you believe in. Before you make a decision, be sure to identify your own values. Be honest with yourself and your beliefs, so that you are confident your efforts and charitable dollars are well spent. Knowing that the charity you are devoting time, money, and resources to reflects what you personally hold important makes all the difference. Do your research, so you pick a philanthropy whose mission mirrors your own.

Identify what your community needs

Educate yourself on the issues or causes that need support in your community. It could be anything from animal welfare or environmental issues to homelessness or education. Donating to a philanthropy is the perfect opportunity to make a real impact in the world you live in. So find out what your community needs, get involved, and be a part of something bigger than yourself by contributing to a philanthropy that needs the support.

Find out how the philanthropy uses donations

Look a little closer at each philanthropy you are considering to get involved with and be sure they are transparent about how they will specifically use your efforts. It’s important to be aware of how each philanthropy operates, so you can see tangible progress within your community. Make sure you know how your time, money, and resources will be used, so you are knowledgeable on the difference you are making in your community.

Picking the right philanthropy to support personally or in your business can be tricky because there are so many causes out there that need support. After you consider these three tips to help you choose a philanthropy, you should be well on your way to making impacts in your community.

Trevor and Lexi Baker3 Tips to Help You Choose a Philanthropy to Support

It is not enough to be good. It is not enough to wish the world were a better place. Miraculous and well-meaning as it is, it is not even enough to send your thoughts and prayers to people who need them. If you want to change the world, you have to actually do something; you have to be a philanthropic advocate—someone who speaks for those who can’t speak for themselves.

And, before you commit to doing anything, there are some 3 questions that philanthropic advocates must ask themselves.

Is This Philanthropic Work Sustainable?

Swooping in and fixing the way things are may seem like a noble act. You’ve built a school in a community that sorely needed access to education. You’ve just improved the lives of these people in this impoverished part of the world! Time to pat yourself on the back? Not even close.

How will the people of the village utilize the school? Who will stick around to make sure that it doesn’t get torn down or turned into something other than what you intended to build it for? In order to be helpful, philanthropy must first be sustainable. The good work you do must be able to carry on—even long after you’re gone. The next time you plan to embark on a philanthropic journey, make sure you plan out ways to make your work sustainable in the long run.

Is This Philanthropy Meaningful?

You can build a school in a rural village, but if ‘school’ doesn’t mean anything to the community, then all you’ve done is force meaningless ideas on a culture you don’t understand. For philanthropic advocacy to be as effective as possible, you must first listen to the voices of the disenfranchised.

What are their wants? What are their needs? What’s meaningful to them as a community? Discover the answers to those questions, and you’ll encounter the key to success as an advocate.

What Are My Intentions for This Advocacy?

As with anything else in life, if you don’t have the best of intentions behind your actions, you’re bound to fail at some point. Wanting to help others solely because it makes you look good or feel good will inevitably lead you to pursue the wrong kinds of philanthropy.

The best philanthropic acts aren’t the ones that loudly announce themselves. They’re not boastful or proud. They’re quiet, unassuming, and miraculously impactful.

When you have the best of intentions, you make the best of the world and its boundless opportunities.